hokanson



0. A. HOKANSON.

.LINE LOCK.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 3. I918.

OTTO A. I-IOKAN SON, OF WOODSTOCK, ILLINOIS, ASSIGHOR TO WOODSTOCKTYPEWRITER COMPANY, OF WOODSTOCK, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF'ILLINOIS.

LINE-LOCK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

' Patented June 1'7, 1919.

, Application filed June s, 1918. Serial No. 237,933.

To all whom e't'may concern.

Be it known that I, Or'ro A. HoKANsoN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Woodstock, in the county of McHenry and State of Illinois,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Line-Locks, ofwhich the following is a specification.

This invention relates to typewriters, and more particularly to the linelock mechanism thereof and the means for releasing it when desired.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a new and improvedconstruction of this kind which is automatically operated to lock boththe key levers and the space baragainst actuation, and is manuallyreleased by the depression of a key lever.

The invention consists in the novel construction, combination andarrangement of the several parts.

In the accompanying -drawings Figure 1 is a fragmentary View of certainparts of a typewriter illustrating the application of a line lock andrelease mechanism to the parts thereof with which it cooperates.

. Fig. 2 is'a planview partly in section of a portion of the linelocking mechanism;

Fig. 3 is a detail View showing portions of the line lock mechanism in adifferent position; and Fig. a is a fragmentary detail view showing therelease of the line look.

In atypewriter it is desirable to provide means for automaticallypreventing the actuation both of the key levers andof the space bar nearthe end of the writing line, and this is accomplished by providing themovable carriage with means for engaging certain mechanism which ismoved to engage the key levers andspace bar in their normal positions toprevent them from being actuated so that the typewriter mechanism andthe carriage cannot be moved another letter space. It is also justdesirable to provide means for manually releasing the line lookingmechanism to writean additional character if desired. The presentinvention contemplates the provision of. improved mechanism foraccomplishing both of these results.

' .7 A plurality of key levers l are pivoted at their rear ends in asub-frame 2, which is mounted in a typewriter frame 3. A'space bar 4 ispivotally mounted on a transversely extending shaft 5, and an arm 6secured to the shaft has an angular extremity adapted to engage one endof a spacing lever 7 the I other end of which is connected to auniversal bar frame 8, or to other suitable mechan sm for actuating theescapement mechanism, which is not shown in the present case. The keylevers actuate pivoted type bars upon their downward movement in awellknown manner.

= Extending transversely under the key levers l is a rail 9 which ispivotally mounted in brackets 10 at the sides of the typewriter frame toswing upon pivot screws 11. The rail 9 is adapted to be moved intoengagement with an angular notch 12 formed in the forward edge of adownwardly extending portion 13 of each of the key levers 1. Secured tothe rail is a bracket 1a to which one end of a link 15 is pivoted, theother end being formed with a slot 16 slidable upon a headed pin 17secured to the arm 6. The "upper edge of this link, adjacent theslottedportion 16, is formed with an abutment 18 which isadapted tocooperate with an adjustable stop screw 19 secured to the sub-frame 2.

' gaged in an angular slot in a link 21, the slot having a portion 22 inwhich the pin 20 is normally engagechand an angular portion 23 wlth anenlargement 24 at the end thereof through which the head of the pin 20may be passed in assembling or taking the machine apart. At its forwardend this link'2l extends below the shaft 5, and the extremity 25 thereofis loosely engaged on its under side by the bent end 26 of a pivoted keylever 28 which is operable from the front of the typewriter. Attached tothe adjacent ends of this link and to a bent end 27 of the lever 28 aresprings 29 and 30 which tend to draw the link forwardly and to hold thisend of the lever in its downward position. The other end of the link 21is attached to a bell crank 31 at the rear of the typewriter frame 3,and another link 32 is connected at one end of the bell crank and at theother end to a lever 33 mounted at the top of the frame. This lever 1pin an at the lower end of the link 21 is to hold th lever 33 so thatits projecting pin 34 is in the uppermost position where it will 'beengaged by the pivoted member 35 on the transverse movement of the bar37.

In operation the rail 9 is normally in the fnll line position, shown inFig. 3, and at this time the key levers 1 and the space bar 41 can befreely depressed for letter writing and spacing movement in thewell-known manner, the aioutment 18 of the link 15 beingin position sothat it will not engage the stop 19' when the space bar is depressed. Inthis condition the pin 20 will be in the pertion 22 of the slot in link21, and the link will be drawn forward by its spring 29. As soon as theprojection 3 1 of the lever 33 is engaged by the member 35,, the leverwill be rocked on its pivot drawing the links 32 and 21 i pwardly, andthis action will cause the movement of the rail 9 into the notches 12ofthe key levers 1, and will cause the link 15 connected to the rail 9.to be moved into a position where its abutment 18 will engage the stop19, as shown in Fig. 1. This will prevent the depression of either ofthe key levers or the space bar at, and no further action is possible inthe letter spacing direction until the key lever 28 is depressed. henthe inner end of this lever 28 is raised, the forward end of link 21 isalso raised until the pin 20;. is at the angular portionof the slot inthe link, whereupon it free to fall by its own weight out of engagementwith the notches 12, because the pin'20 will at this time move freely inthe forward portion 23 of the slot, and this will cause the link 15 whomoved clear of the stop 19 so that the keylevers 1 and the space bar 4:can be depressed at will. When the f nger is taken from the forward endof the key lever 28, and after the carriage and memher 35 passoverprojection 3 1 of lever 33, spring 29 draws the forward end ofthelink 21 downwardly and forwardly, and this movement causes the slot 23toride tip on the pin 20 until the portion 22 is reached, whereupon thepin 20 will be reengaged with this portion of the angular slot, the rail9 at this time being maintained in its 'forward position so that thelink 21 and the rail 9 are again connected in their normal relationready for another line-locking operation.

1. In a line look, a plurality of pivoted key levers each having asubstantially vertical portion intermediate the ends with alined notchesin the front edges of the vertical portions, a transverse rail pivotedbelow the key levers with a rear edge engageable in the notches, amovable link having a slot connection with the rail, a spring tending todraw the link and rail forwardly, and means'for raising the link whenthe rail engages the notches so that the rail will fall out ofengagement with the levers.

In a typewriter, the combination with a plurality of key levers and aspace bar including a rearwardly extending actuating arm, of a line lockcomprising a rail extending below the levers and means for pivotallymounting it to swing into engagement therewith, a link pivotallyconnected to the rail having a sliding engagement with the said arm, anda stop to engage the said link when the rail is in engagement with thekey levers.

3. In a line lock, the combination with a plurality of key levers, of arail extending transversely below the levers and mounted for swingingmovement into engagement with the levers, means for-moving the railcomprising a'link with an angular slot, and a pin carried with the railfor engagement in the said slot, the link being movable so that the pinwill allow the rail to all by its own weight out of engagement with thekey levers.

4. In a line lock, the combination with a plurality of key levers, of arail extending transversely thereof and mounted for swinging movementinto and out of engagement with the levers to prevent their depression,means for moving the rail positively into engaging position, said meanscomprising a pin, a link with an angular slot in which he pin ismovable, anactuating connection attached to one end of the link, a

key lever for raising the other end of the link to allow the rail to'fall by its own weight out of engagement with the key levers, and meansfor returning the to its normal position after it has been raised by thekey lever.

5. In a line look, a plurality of'key levers, a rail swingingly mountedto engage the key levers to prevent their depression, means forpositively moving the rail in one direction comprising a pin and a linkwith an angular slot one portion of which is-norinally'engagedby thepin, means for raising the link so that the pin will ride in theotherportion of the angular slot dueto the weight of the rail to releasethekeylevers from on gagement therewith, and "a spring acting upon thelink to return the pin to the normal portionof theslot by moving thelink with respect to the rail. 7

6. In a line lock, the combination with a plurality of pivoted keylevers, of a transversely extending shaft, a space bar connected totheshaft, an armmounted on the shaft and extending rearwardly therefrom, atransversely extending rail, brackets for pivotally mounting the rail, alink pivoted to the rail having a sliding-pin and slot connection withthe said arm, an adjustable fixed stop to engagethe link when the railengages the key levers, means for positively 'moving the rail and thelink into engaging position, said means comprising a pin projecting fromone of the brackets, a link with an angular slot for engaging said pinand a connection at one end of the link to move it positively in onedirection, and releasing means comprising a key lever engaging the otherend of the link and resilient means acting upon the adjacent ends of thereleasin lever and the said link.

i. In a line lock, a plurality of key levers, of a transverselyextending rail, brackets for pivotally mounting the rail for swingingmovement, a link having an angular slot, a pin in connection With one ofthe brackets and slidable in the slot, a connection at one end of thelink for moving it positively in one direction, a spring at the otherend of the link for drawing it in the other direction when the saidconnection is released, and means for raising the spring end of the linkto allow the pin to slide from one portion of the angular slot into theother portion thereof due to the weight of the rail, the said springreturning the pin to the first-mentioned portion of the slot when thesaid connection at the other end of the link is released.

8. In a typewriter, the combination with a plurality of pivoted keylevers and a pivoted space bar, of a line lock comprising a rail toswing into engagement with the levers, and a slidable lock in connectionwith the line lock to prevent the operation of the space bar when therail is in engagement with the key levers.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification on this31st day of May A. D. 1918.

OTTO A. HOKANSON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0.

